ESO Fellowship Programme: Application guidelines

To apply for the ESO Fellowship, you must first register using the on-line service available at the ESO recruitment portal. We encourage applicants to register well before the application deadline. The application deadline is 15 October.

 

Application material and templates

Candidates are asked to include the following material as part of their application. The use of ESO’s official application templates is mandatory. Applications that do not follow these formats or omit required documents will not be considered.

Your application must include all of the following, using the provided forms and completing every relevant section:

  1. Motivation Letter – using the official template.

  2. Research Plan – using the official template and completing all required parts.

  3. Academic and Research Track Record – using the official template and completing all required parts.

All documents should be uploaded in pdf format to related vacancy at the ESO recruitment portal. All three forms are available as Word, LibreOffice and Latex templates.  

The names and contact details of three people familiar with your scientific work and willing to provide a recommendation letter.

  • For the ESO Chile Fellowship Programme, referees are automatically invited to submit their recommendation letters once applicants trigger the request through the online application form. Applicants are strongly encouraged to send these invitations well before the application deadline of 15 October to ensure timely submission. You do not need to complete your application materials before requesting reference letters, and you may submit your application before your referees have submitted their letters.
  • For the ESO Europe Fellowship Programme, referees will be invited to submit recommendation letters only for candidates who advance to the second stage of the selection process. Applicants who are successful in the first stage are strongly encouraged to notify their referees to begin preparing the letters as soon as they receive confirmation of their progression. The deadline for submitting the reference letters is ususally during the second week of December.
 

Guidelines for Completing Application Templates

Instructions for completing each section of the ESO Fellowship application templates are provided within the templates themselves. These guidelines are highlighted in grey for easy reference. Applicants should read and follow them carefully to ensure their application is complete and correctly formatted.

To ensure a fair and transparent process, all applications are evaluated based on a set of clearly defined criteria. These criteria help us assess both the scientific quality of the proposed research and the candidate’s potential to carry it out successfully.

Below is an overview of what we’re looking for in each part of the application, along with important structural differences between the Europe and Chile Fellowship selection processes.

Research Plan

The Research Plan is a central part of the application.

In the Europe Fellowship Programme, it is the only document reviewed during the first selection stage. This initial triage is designed to identify candidates with bold, original, and scientifically sound ideas that have the potential to make a meaningful impact.

Candidates who pass this triage move to the second stage, where the full application is assessed to determine whether the applicant has the skills, experience, and scientific maturity to successfully execute their research plan.

Your Research Plan will be assessed based on the following core criteria:

 

Scientific Excellence

  • Clearly define the key research questions and explain their relevance.
  • Demonstrate deep understanding of the topic and present a logical, coherent research strategy.
  • Show evidence of scientific maturity and ownership of your ideas, including how past work has led to your current proposal
 

Novelty and Creativity

  • Highlight new approaches, original ideas, or innovative methods.
  • Make clear what sets your proposal apart from existing work in the field.
  • Emphasize your scientific voice and perspective, even in established areas of research.
 

Feasibility and Reliability

  • Ensure your project fits within the 3 (Europe) – 4 (Chile) year timeframe of the Fellowship.
  • Explain what data or resources are required, and how you plan to access them.
  • Be mindful of ESO’s infrastructure and outline contingency plans to show adaptability and resilience.
 

Page limit: 3 pages (including figures). References may be listed at the end and do not count toward the limit. Minimum font size: 11pt.

 

Motivation Letter

The motivation letter gives insight into your professional aspirations and how the Fellowship at ESO fits into your broader career plans. It also allows you to highlight what you will bring to the ESO community. We assess:

Career Fit and Motivation

  • Explain why ESO is the right environment for your next career step.
  • Reflect on how ESO’s structure—its facilities, scientific culture, and operational responsibilities—aligns with your goals.

Contribution to ESO

  • Describe how you will contribute to ESO beyond your research, including technical roles, collaboration, mentoring, or outreach.
  • Mention relevant skills in operations, instrumentation, data analysis, or community engagement.
 

Page limit: 2 pages. Font size must be at least 11pt.

 

Academic & Research Track Record (ARTR Form)

This form gives a comprehensive picture of your academic journey and achievements. It should present your research identity, productivity, and broader scientific engagement. We look for:

  • Key Achievements: Up to three accomplishments with clear explanation of your role and impact.
  • Scientific Output: Quality and scope of your publication record.
  • Experience: Observing, computing, mentoring, community roles, and interdisciplinary work.
  • Trajectory and Context: Career development, including any breaks or non-linear paths that shaped your scientific profile.

You are welcome (but not required) to mention personal circumstances such as career breaks, to provide context for your timeline.

 

Guidelines on the selection process

Europe Fellowship Selection: A Three-Step Process

 

First Stage – Research Plan Triage

  • Only the Research Plan is evaluated at this stage through a Distributed Peer Review (DPR) process.
  • The goal is to identify strong, original ideas that show promise for scientific impact.
The Research Plan will be the only document evaluated during the first selection round. It must be entirely self-contained: do not reference your motivation letter or early career track record. All relevant information must be included in this document.
 

Second Stage – Full Application Review. The Fellowship Selection Committee (FSC) reviews all application materials for candidates who passed the first triage:

  • Research Plan
  • Motivation letter
  • Academic & Research Track Record
  • Reference letters

This stage assesses whether the candidate has the expertise, skills, and potential to carry out their proposed research successfully.

 

Third Stage – Interview Week

  • Shortlisted candidates are invited to give a science talk and to participate in a one-hour interview with the FSC.
  • The interview focuses on scientific vision, motivation, career goals, and the candidate’s interest in ESO.

 

Chile Fellowship Selection: A Two-Step Process

 

Full Application Review. The FSC evaluates the complete application from the start, including the Research Plan, motivation letter, ARTR, and reference letters.

Interview week. 

  • Shortlisted candidates are invited to participate in a one-hour interview with the FSC.
  • The interview focuses on scientific vision, motivation, career goals, and the candidate’s interest in ESO mission and ESO at large.



Final Notes for Applicants

  • Use the provided templates to ensure your application includes all required information in the correct format.
  • Reviewers come from diverse backgrounds—write with clarity, structure, and purpose.
  • The process is competitive, but inclusive: we value creativity, potential, and a clear fit with ESO’s mission just as much as past achievements.
  • If you follow these guidelines and present your ideas and experience clearly, you’ll give the selection committee the best opportunity to recognize your strengths.

In case of any question/request related to the application form, please send an email using one of the email addresses listed on the contact page.

 

In cases where candidates are equally ranked, recruitment preference will be given to nationals of ESO Member States, Australia, and Chile. Committees also aim to maintain equality, diversity and inclusion in gender, nationality, and research topics.